Subject Pronouns
Ud., vos, and tú
Second person pronouns can be some of the most confusing elements for Spanish language learners.
In Costa Rica the aspiring Spanish speaker is forced to learn a whole new context for treating
people with the proper pronoun.
The 'tú' that everyone learns as the standard informal second person singular pronoun,
is simply not used in Costa Rica except for the following uncommon situations:
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Academic situations in which prescriptive international Spanish grammar is taught
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Between lovers (definitely not all lovers, just some)
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With tourists who expect to be treated with 'tú'
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To God (the Bible is written with 'tú')
The other pronoun that you were probably taught in Spanish class is 'Ud.'.
This pronoun is used in the vast majority of cases in Costa Rica.
Don't believe anyone who tells you otherwise. I have witnessed many different situations
in Costa Rican society, in all sorts of social strata, and most people I know
use 'Ud.' with everybody.
In Costa Rica 'Ud.' is acceptable to use with everybody. In other countries it
is used as a very formal pronoun, to be used with unfamiliar people as a sign of respect.
This is not the case at all in Costa Rica (although it still is the pronoun you'd utilize
to treat someone with respect). You can walk down the streets in San José and hear mothers
reprimanding their children using 'Ud.'. You can even use 'Ud.' with your
best friends or your spouse, and no one would ever find it strange.
The other common second person singular pronoun in Costa Rica is 'vos'. Although
'Ud.' has taken over as the most widely used pronoun in the last few decades, 'vos'
is still quite common and is very firmly ingrained in Costa Rican culture. 'Vos'
is a pronoun that some Costa Ricans prefer to use with just about everyone they meet. As a
personal choice, people can use 'vos' with friends and acquaintances alike, without
suffering any sort of class discrimination (many Costa Ricans reject overt classism in their
language, among other aspects of life). Older people sometimes use 'vos' exclusively
with people they meet, and 'vos' has attained formal status in the country by displacing
all other equivalent pronouns on print advertisements.
In conclusion, pronoun usage can be confusing in Costa Rica, but fitting in is very easy. If you
use 'Ud.' with anybody, you won't have any problems whatsoever. You can even use 'vos'
all the time, and people probably won't think twice. These two pronouns have become nearly
interchangeable. However, don't even try 'tú' with any Costa Rican outside of a fancy
tourist resort. Results will vary.
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